India A will play three four-day matches against New Zealand A, with KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant among the key names in the squad for the upcoming tour.
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Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep and Rishabh Pant have been named in the India A squad for the New Zealand tour(Photo: X)
The BCCI has announced the India A squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand, with several senior players included as the team prepares for three four-day matches against New Zealand ADhruv Jurel has been named captain, while KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal and Washington Sundar are among the key names in the squad.
The India A team will play three multi-day matches in New Zealand, giving several players valuable experience in conditions that could be important for India’s senior Test team later in the tour.
KL Rahul, Pant and Jurel lead India A squad
The India A squad has a strong mix of experience and young talentJurel will lead the side and will also keep wickets, while Pant has been included as another wicketkeeper-batter.
However, Pant’s selection is subject to fitnessThe left-handed batter recently suffered a bout of fever during the Irani Cup final against Jammu and Kashmir.
KL Rahul is another major name in the squadThe experienced batter could use the A tour to get familiar with New Zealand conditions before India’s two-Test series.
Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudarsan and Ravichandran Smaran are the other notable batting optionsWashington Sundar also features in the squad, while the bowling group includes Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary and Mukesh Kumar.
Three four-day matches against New Zealand A
India A will play three unofficial Tests against New Zealand AThe first match is scheduled in Lincoln from October 24 to 27, followed by the second match in Christchurch from October 31 to November 3The third game will be played in Lincoln from November 7 to 10.
The matches will give the selected players a chance to spend more time in New Zealand conditions and strengthen their claims for future opportunities with the senior team.
India A squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant [WK]*, Dhruv Jurel [C] [WK], Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar
Announcement
#TeamIndia’s T20I squad and India A squads for New Zealand tour announced
Bhuvneshwar Kumar makes a comeback to the T20I side
More Details ▶️ https://t.co/oJ52QSH0DO
#NZvIND https://t.co/btbXlQ0nQD
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 6, 2026
Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns after four years
The senior India squad also saw a major development, with veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar making his return to the T20I side after nearly four years.
Bhuvneshwar last played for India in November 2022He has impressed in the IPL over the last two seasons for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, taking 45 wickets and helping the team win back-to-back titles.
Bumrah rested for New Zealand T20Is
Jasprit Bumrah has not been included in the T20I squad for the New Zealand series as India look to manage his workload ahead of the ODI and Test assignmentsShreyas Iyer will captain the T20I side, with Tilak Varma as his deputy.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has retained his place, while Varun Chakaravarthy also returns after recovering from injury.
The India T20I squad includes Shreyas Iyer, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.
The ODI and Test squads for the New Zealand tour will be announced later.
